Age of Consent
by draggon-flye
Summary: Donny Palmer has been thinking a lot about something Leigh McGee told him. His parents don't believe in spanking. Her parents do. Just when is he old enough to decide for himself? Part of the Future Perfect universe. Follows All in Good Fun. It can stand alone but may make more sense if you read that first. Deals with spanking of minor children. Don't like; don't read.
1. Chapter 1

Gibbs sat at his small dining table, check book and pen in hand, a small stack of unpaid bills on the table before him. Through the open doorway, Donny Palmer lay sprawled on the battered sofa flipping idly through some kind of comic book. Gibbs watched him for a moment, smiling fondly, thinking, as he nearly always did around Donny, of Ducky. His friend would have adored his young namesake, of that he had no doubt. The twelve-year-old was at that gangly, awkward stage, all elbows and knees and feet. His build was the image of his father's, but his coloring was fair and blonde like his mother's. Unlike Palmer, who could still be shy and socially awkward occasionally, Donny was a spitfire, funny and mischievous. His friendship with Gibbs's own namesake, Leigh McGee, doubtless had something to do with that. This latest prank they had pulled on Palmer was proof of that. God, Ducky would've skinned them alive. From what he'd heard, Palmer's reaction had been somewhere in the same category. After all, Ducky had trained him well, but the Scotsman would've been beyond livid.

Shaking his head in fond exasperation, Gibbs watched Donny for a moment longer. Then, he turned to his bills and got to work. A little while later, Donny appeared at his elbow.

"Hey, Uncle Gibbs," Donny said, peering curiously over his shoulder, "I'm going outside, okay?"

"Hmmm?" Gibbs said absently, not looking up from what he was doing. "Oh, yeah, sure that's fine."

Donny was out the door, letting it slam behind him, almost before the words were out of Gibbs's mouth. A while later, bills paid and tucked neatly in the mailbox to be picked up the following morning, Gibbs wandered into the yard to see what Donny had gotten up to. Much to his surprise, Donny was nowhere to be found. Gibbs walked completely around the house, calling as he went, but there was no answer and no telltale flash of blonde hair sticking out from anywhere. Even after all these years and all his law enforcement experience, Gibbs couldn't stop the wave of panic that washed over him at that realization. He moved to the sidewalk, striding quickly down the street, praying silently that Donny had just wandered off somewhere. If anything had happened to this kid, Palmer would never forgive him. Hell, Gibbs would never forgive himself.

A few doors down and across the street, his neighbor, Mrs. Lowery, was working in her flowerbeds. Gibbs called to her, crossing the street to stand in the edge of her yard. She stood and came to meet him, dropping her trowel, dusting off her knees, and carefully removing garish floral garden gloves. "Jethro!" She called brightly, smiling." How you doing this afternoon?"

"Just fine," Gibbs told her, forcing himself from years of practice to smile and be cordial. "Have you seen Donny? You remember him, blonde and about this tall." He held a hand up just below his shoulder height.

Mrs. Lowery nodded. "Yes, of course I do. I was just talking to him earlier, telling him about Mrs. Matthews's puppies. I think he was headed over to see them. Didn't he tell you?"

Gibbs shook his head ruefully. "No, he seems to have forgotten that part. You know how kids are. Thank you. I'll go and retrieve him now."

Ms. Lowery laughed with good-natured exasperation. "That boy… Don't be too hard on him now. I'm sure he was just excited about puppies."

"You're probably right," Gibbs agreed, turning to walk away. "I'll talk to you later." Right now, he had other things to attend to. First and foremost, Mr. Donald Palmer had some explaining to do.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Discusses spanking of children; don't like, don't read**

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Donny knelt on Mrs. Matthews front porch surrounded by three very cute long-haired Chihuahua puppies. Two were black and tan and one was a solid tan color. The tan one was the only girl, according to Mrs. Matthews. She was snuggled in Donny's lap sleeping contentedly as he rubbed her tiny head with one hand. With the other hand, he rolled a small ball for the other two puppies to play with. They were so funny, jumping and wrestling around. Donny wanted a puppy badly. He'd been begging his mom and dad practically forever, but they always said they were away from home too much to take care of a dog, with their jobs being so busy and all. He'd tried telling his mom that he was perfectly capable of taking care of a puppy, even if she and dad had to work all the time, but she had just given him one of those irritated mom looks, and he had shut up. Arguing with those looks usually ended up with him up close and personal with the peeling paint in the kitchen corner, which was stupid. They had studied American history and government in social studies this year, and he had tried to tell his parents that he had learned about the right of freedom of speech, which meant he had the right to say what he wanted. His dad had said he was absolutely right, but as long as Donny lived in his house he was going to speak respectfully or deal with the consequences. He absolutely had the right to say it; he just had to be prepared for the consequences that went with it. According to his dad, rights didn't come without consequences, and in their house that usually meant staring at paint on the wall or writing apology letters. Donny didn't think that with how freedom of speech was supposed to work, but since he had no choice about living in his parents' house, his dad had said he'd better learn to deal with it.

Donny sighed, rolling the ball for the puppies one more time. It just wasn't fair. He was never old enough to do anything. He couldn't do what he wanted or say what he wanted or anything. There was always some stupid rule, and somebody saying he wasn't old enough. When would he ever be old enough? It seemed like he'd been waiting to be old enough his whole life.

The sound of footsteps coming up the steps to the porch pulled Donny out of his thoughts. He froze when he saw Uncle Gibbs standing at the top of the steps, his hands on his hips and one eyebrow raised. In one sickening moment, Donny suddenly realized he had forgotten to tell Uncle Gibbs he was leaving the yard and was in big trouble. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the words just wouldn't come out.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was when I realized you weren't in the yard?" Uncle Gibbs asked sternly. "I had no idea where you had gone. If Mrs. Lowery hadn't told me, I'd be calling your parents and the police right now. All you had to do was ask. I would've let you come over here. I was right inside the door. Was it that hard to come in and ask?"

Donny shook his head. "No, sir. I'm sorry. I just forgot."

"Then we're going to have to work on ways to help you remember," Uncle Gibbs told him. "Say thank you and goodbye to Mrs. Matthews, and let's go."

"I need to take the puppies back inside," Donny replied quietly.

Uncle Gibbs nodded. Donny scooped up the little girl puppy with one hand and caught one of the little boys with the other. He tried to tuck the little boy under his arm so he could grab the third puppy, but Uncle Gibbs stepped forward and picked it up himself, rubbing the puppy's head and talking gently to it. Donny hoped that meant he was calming down and wasn't that mad, but he didn't hold out much hope of that being true. How could he have been so stupid? Uncle Gibbs was right. All he would've had to do was go in the house and ask. He'd it tons of times before. He was in so much trouble. He'd only been off of his grounding for that stupid prank for a couple weeks, and now he was going to get grounded again. He was going to go out of his mind with boredom. Wasn't being alone too much supposed to be bad for your mind or something? Shouldn't that be cruel and unusual punishment?

He took the puppies back to their designated room inside the house, closing the door carefully and thanking Mrs. Matthews for letting him play with them before trudging out the door behind Uncle Gibbs. For a little while, Uncle Gibbs didn't say anything. Finally, when his silence was just about to drive Donny crazy, he said, "What were you thinking, Donny?"

Donny shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just excited about puppies, and you never care if I go over and see the dogs so I just went. I completely forgot about coming to ask. It wasn't on purpose." After a moment, Donny took a deep breath and added, "Am I in trouble?"

"I suppose that is going to be up to your dad," Uncle Gibbs told him. "You know how this works. We'll tell him about it when he gets here and see what he says."

"Do you have to tell him?" Donny begged. "I just got off of being grounded, and now I'm going to get grounded again. At this rate, I won't get out of my room until Christmas."

Uncle Gibbs seemed to find that funny, though Donny didn't think there was anything funny about it at all. "Sorry, kid," Uncle Gibbs said. "You should have thought about that before you took off out of the yard without permission."

"I know," Donny said. "I just forgot. I won't do it again. Please, just this once can we not tell him. Can't you just handle it yourself or something?"

"Your parents don't agree with the way I handle things," Gibbs told him. "That's their right, to raise you the way they see fit. It's not my place to interfere with that."

Donny shot him a sideways look. "You mean because you believe in spanking, don't you? If it were Leigh or Katie, that's what you'd do, isn't it? I know you have before. Leigh's said so."

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, probably, and their parents have no problem with my methods. They would and have done the same themselves. Yours do. I respect their right to make that decision, even if I don't agree with them so I let them handle things with you, just like always. It doesn't mean I don't consider you family, just like Leigh or Katie. I just have a different arrangement with their parents than I have with yours."

"You mean my mom," Donny muttered. "She's the one who doesn't believe in it. I know that. Dad told me that himself when we played that stupid prank. He said he almost spanked me himself that day. He said if Uncle Ducky had been here, Uncle Ducky would have spanked us both, and he wouldn't have cared whether my mom approved or not.

Uncle Gibbs chuckled. "Your dad is probably right about that."

"Dad didn't sound like he would have minded about it," Donny said.

"He might not have," Uncle Gibbs replied, "but your mom does, and it's her right to make that decision."

"When do I get to make the decision," Donny said. "I don't mind about it, shouldn't that matter? Why can't I decide for myself? After all, I'm the one who's being punished."

Uncle Gibbs laughed. "Are you seriously trying to talk me into spanking you? Most kids try to talk their way out of it, not into it."

Donny shrugged. "I don't exactly want you to either, but I'm sick of being grounded. Besides, there's no reason why it should be okay for Leigh and Katie, but not for me. It's not like you'd ever really hurt them or me either."

"Oh, I think the girls would tell you it hurts plenty," Uncle Gibbs said.

Donny rolled his eyes. He knew it was probably a bad idea when he was already in trouble, but he just couldn't help himself. "I know that, Uncle Gibbs. I'm not stupid. I know it hurts. Leigh says it hurts bad, but then it's all over, and that's better than going on and on forever like being grounded."

Uncle Gibbs nodded. "I suppose she has a point. It does get over quickly and clear the air. I can't argue that, but she's also right that it hurts. If I were to punish you myself, it wouldn't be easy. I can promise that you wouldn't like it. You would probably cry, and sitting tonight wouldn't be comfortable."

"But then it would be over," Donny said quietly, "right?"

Gibbs nodded. "I'd still have to tell your dad, just like I tell Tim and Abby when Leigh and Katie get in trouble in my house, but I would tell him I had already handled things between us. I can't promise he wouldn't want to have a word with you himself, but I doubt he would punish you further. The others never have."

"So does that mean you'll do it?" Donny asked, turning into the walkway at Gibbs's house and climbing the steps. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know the answer. He was really sick of being grounded, but now he was getting kind of scared too. His stomach was all in knots, and he felt like he might be sick.

"I don't know," Uncle Gibbs replied, opening the front door and stepping inside. "I need to think about it. While I do, I want you to stand here and think about why leaving the yard without letting me know is a bad idea." He put his hands on Donny's shoulders and guided him over to an all too familiar corner of the living room. Donny sighed, but didn't argue. As much as he would've liked to, he knew better. Arguing would just extend the time he was stuck here anyway. Uncle Gibbs watched him for a minute or two, as he always did, then moved away in the direction of his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN 1: More references to spanking ahead, but if you made it this far, you shouldn't be surprised. Again, if you don't like it, don't read it.**

* * *

Gibbs paced the floor of his bedroom, scrubbing his hands through his hair. What the hell was he going to do with this kid? Since when did a kid try to argue their way into a spanking? This one apparently did, and damned if Gibbs didn't find himself agreeing with him. Donny clearly knew what he was asking, at least as much as anybody who had never been spanked could. He and Leigh had clearly talked about this in some detail, not that that was surprising, kids did after all. Gibbs remembered that much from his own childhood. Donny had clearly reasoned, at least in his own mind, that if it did not harm Leigh and Katie, it wasn't going to harm him either, despite his parents' feelings on the matter. Or rather, his mother's. The kid had that one nailed too.

Palmer might not be sold on spanking, but he wasn't likely to balk too much at Gibbs spanking Donny, not when he'd accepted the same punishment himself, at one point. It was Breena that was adamantly against it. The thing was, she had the right to make that decision, absolutely and without question. It was one thing to convince Tim, at thirty, that his parents' parenting ideas might not be gospel; it was yet another to make that kind of distinction with a twelve-year-old. Gibbs wasn't at all sure he had any kind of right to do that. If anything, he should be reinforcing to Donny the need to follow his parents' rules and guidance. Except that Donny had clearly already made that distinction for himself, at least to a point. And what better to reinforce the point that he needed to keep his behind where he was supposed to be or at least let them know where he was going than a spanking. Though if he were totally honest, grounding the kid had some merit too. If he couldn't be trusted to tell them where he was going, then he just couldn't go anywhere at all. The very fact that Donny dreaded the punishment enough to ask for a spanking told Gibbs that letting him get grounded would be an effective deterrent, which said that there was no real reason to mess with his parents' method if it was working.

Except that the kid had made a damn good point. When was he old enough to consent for himself? In some states, he would already be able to testify in court and even decide his own custody if his parents were divorced. He wasn't a small child who didn't understand what he was asking. He knew as well as anybody could without the experience and he made the choice. Truthfully, something else was worrying Gibbs too. Donny was clearly curious about this 'thing' that the girls had experienced, but he hadn't. It wasn't at all out of the realm of possibility that he would continue to misbehave, in increasingly severe and likely more dangerous ways, until somebody satisfied his curiosity. Gibbs had seen it happen, particularly during his stint as an MP, when he'd seen more teenagers than he cared to think about act out in increasingly crazy ways in a desperate bid for someone to pay attention to them and give them the limits they desperately craved. The last thing he wanted to do was that Donny up in situation like that, especially not when he had the opportunity to put a stop to it here and now.

Okay, Ducky, he thought wryly, just what am I going to do with this boy of yours? On the heels of the thought came a wave of longing and missing his friend. Behind it, as if in answer to his question, the memory came, as sharp and clear as if it had happened just moments earlier rather than more than a decade ago. They had been gathered here, in his backyard, on one of the many such nights like it through the years. It had been long ago, back when Jimmy and Breena were dating but not yet married. Jimmy had been here that night, but Breena had not. It was in the time before she had started to join them as part of the family. At some point in the evening, Ducky had been telling tales of his schoolboy misadventures. One such adventure, which one Gibbs no longer remembered, had culminated in Ducky being caught and slippered by a teacher or some member of the school staff. What Gibbs remembered most was the varied reaction of the audience around him. Tony, who understood the culture of boarding school even if his own had been vastly different from Ducky's, and Abby, who grew up in the South where corporal punishment was common, had taken the story in stride. Tim and Jimmy, who had grown up in families and cultures that, at least for the most part, eschewed any form of corporal punishment, where rather horrified. Ducky had shrugged away their concerns, trying to explain that he had known full well just what he might be getting into and that receiving those common and known consequences had in no way harmed or traumatized him. He'd misbehaved; he knew it and the adult who called him on it had known it. At that point, the two of them had just been reaching what both of them knew was an inevitable conclusion.

Thinking back on it, Gibbs could clearly see that Ducky, though he had been several years younger than Donny at the time, plainly consented to the situation-at least in a by proxy sort of way. When he'd behaved as he had, knowing the consequences, he'd consented to them. Donny had quite obviously done that same, maybe even more so since he'd asked for them. So what was the problem?

Breena was going to kill him, that's what. She was fiercely protective of Donny, overly so sometimes. They'd clashed more than once over her wrapped-in-cotton approach. He respected her as Donny's mother, even when he completely disagreed with her. So, that being said, how was it that he was contemplating going against her now?

Because she was wrong, dammit. Maybe not always, he wasn't nearly naive enough to believe that this was always the answer, or that her way was either. Every person and every situation was different, and in this situation, Donny needed a spanking. Gibbs knew that at an instinctive gut level, and what's more, Donny himself knew it. Put like that, the answer was ridiculously easy. After all, he'd made both a career and a reputation on going with his gut. He had plenty of experience with making the right-if not easy or politically correct choice and dealing with the fallout later. Why should this be any different?

Still thinking of Ducky, Gibbs bent down and picked up one of his own rarely worn slippers from the floor inside his open closet door and smacked it hard against his thigh to test it. He winced at the sudden sting but was sufficiently satisfied it wouldn't kill the boy. He could practically hear Ducky's smug laugh in his head. 'Of course not, Jethro. After all, generations of British schoolboys, including myself, survived it just fine. Young Donald will doubtless survive as well.'

Gibbs inclined his head slightly in silent acknowledgement. All right, Ducky, let's go take care of your boy.

* * *

**AN2: No matter how I wrote this decision it was going to be controversial. I'm extremely aware of issues of consent and parental authority. I have no interest in debating those issues. This is fiction. If you feel the need to debate, take your soapbox elsewhere. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Spanking of a minor child ahead. Don't like; don't read.**

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Donny startled when he heard Uncle Gibbs's soft footsteps come back into the room. It didn't scare him, not exactly, but he was growing increasingly nervous, and he just couldn't help himself. A moment later, he heard Uncle Gibbs take a seat on the sofa and a soft thump as something was dropped onto the floor. That sound sent Donny's heart into his throat. What was that? Oh, God, Leigh once told him Uncle Gibbs had a paddle. She'd never seen it, but apparently Uncle Gibbs had once threatened to use it when she'd gotten in trouble at school. Was that what the sound was? Was Uncle Gibbs going to paddle him? The thought alone was terrifying. Donny desperately wanted to look, but he didn't dare turn around. Please don't let it be a paddle, Donny prayed silently. Anything but that.

In the tense silence, every sound in the room seemed amplified. Donny could hear every subtle movement as Uncle Gibbs settled himself on the couch. The sounds grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard, sending his nerves further and further into the stratosphere.

Finally, Uncle Gibbs cleared his throat and said quietly, "All right, kid, come here."

Danny turned instantly on the word. Much to his relief, there wasn't a paddle in sight. Uncle Gibbs sat alone on the sofa, his elbows propped on his thighs and his hands clasped between his knees. When he saw Donny watching, he unclasped his hands and held one out to Donny, beckoning. Donny moved slowly toward him until Uncle Gibbs finally leaned over to catch his arm and guided him around to stand so they were face-to-face. Donny felt a blush start somewhere at the base of his neck and creep slowly up to the top of his head. Donny groaned. Uncle Gibbs hadn't even said anything yet and already he looked like a tomato on legs. He'd always blushed and burned extremely easily, and he hated it. Donny dropped his head, studying his shoes intently, but Uncle Gibbs put a finger under his chin and made him look up.

"None of that now," Uncle Gibbs said. "Look at me, son. Did you think about what I said?"

Donny nodded. "Yes, sir."

"So can you tell me why you shouldn't have left the yard without telling me?"

"You might have thought I had been kidnapped or something," Donny said quietly.

"Yep," Gibbs agreed. "If Mrs. Lowery hadn't told me she had talked to you, I would've called the police, and we'd be starting a kidnapping investigation right now. I'm very glad she knew where you were and it didn't get that far, but it never should've been a possibility. Anything else?"

"Yes, sir," Donny replied, "Rule #3."

For a moment, Uncle Gibbs stared at him with a surprised expression. "A or B?" He blurted, still looking a little shocked.

"3B," Donny told him. "If I'm in the neighborhood and you don't know where I am, I'm unreachable – since mom and dad refuse to let me have the cell phone – so I broke Rule # 3. Never be unreachable."

Uncle Gibbs nodded slowly. "That's true, but do you know why Rule 3 exists in the first place."

Donny shook his head slowly. He'd never really thought about why Uncle Gibbs's rules were what they were. They just existed, like the moon or oxygen. They just were.

"Being unreachable puts you in danger," Gibbs explained. "You could be hurt or lost and no one would know, or there might be an emergency, and I would have to spend valuable time looking for you, time that might end up getting us both hurt or in trouble. We need to know where you are at all times, and I think you know that."

Donny nodded. "I really did just forget, Uncle Gibbs. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

Uncle Gibbs reached up and rubbed a hand over Donny's head. "I believe you, son," he said, "but the fact remains, you broke family rules, and we have to deal with that. Now, I did a lot of thinking myself about how to deal with this situation, and here's what I think. You were man enough to admit you did wrong. You didn't argue or make excuses or try to pretend it wasn't a big deal. You never tried to convince me that you shouldn't be punished. The only thing you questioned at all was how that would happen. That's a very mature and adult thing to do. I've known men and women far older and more experienced than who you couldn't do that. I'm very proud of you for that, son, and the way I see it, that kind of maturity gives you the right to some say so in how we handle this so if you still rather me handle it than your parents, that's what we'll do."

Donny swallowed hard. His head was spinning. Now that it was here and real, he was nervous – really nervous. At the same time, part of him was really happy. He couldn't believe Uncle Gibbs was proud of him. Uncle Gibbs didn't say things like that often, almost never, so when he did, you knew he meant it. Even so, he was still in trouble. He had no doubt about that. Donny bit his lip, fidgeting. Why did he have to give him a choice? Why couldn't they just get on with it? After all, this was what Donny wanted, wasn't it? He asked for it, but now that it was here, he wasn't sure he really wanted it. At the same time, he was equally sure that if he changed his mind right now, Uncle Gibbs wouldn't say another word. At least, not until his dad got here then they'd have to talk it over with his dad, who would **not** be happy. Dad was always more upset if he got in trouble at someone else's house. There wasn't a doubt in Donny's mind that he would be grounded forever. On the other hand, there was equally no doubt that if he chose to go on Uncle Gibbs wouldn't hesitate to spank him, hard, and it would really hurt.

The thought alone was terrifying. Sometimes, when they were younger, he had seen Uncle Tim or Aunt Abby – mostly Aunt Abby – give Leigh or Katie – mostly Leigh, if he were honest – a swat if they got out of hand. He'd seen Uncle Gibbs smack Uncle Tony in the back of the head a few times too. It was usually enough to make Uncle Tony yelp, and he was an adult and a federal agent. It had to be hard to get that kind of reaction out of him. Would Uncle Gibbs spank him that hard?

"What… How?" Donny stammered nervously.

Uncle Gibbs pulled him closer, standing him between his knees like he had often done when Donny was a little kid and rubbed a hand over his shoulder. Part of Donny was embarrassed – completely mortified – but he didn't dare complain. Besides, he kind of liked it. It was… comforting somehow, which was totally weird considering how completely nervous he was, and the fact that he was about to be punished.

"If we do this," Uncle Gibbs said, quiet, serious, and very calm. "I'll put you over my knee and spank your backside with this." He reached to the floor near his feet and picked up a gray slipper.

"A shoe," Donny blurted, unable to stop himself. "You're going to spank me with a shoe?" Dimly, somewhere in the back of his mind, Donny registered that the shoe must have been the thunk he'd heard earlier, but he dismissed it, utterly baffled.

"A slipper," Gibbs replied quietly. "When Uncle Ducky was a boy and got into trouble, it was how he was punished. It's his way and how I think he would've handled you. You're his kid, as much as mine, so if we do this, it'll be his way. So, are we doing this?"

Donny's stomach surged, but he nodded before he could change his mind. He was scared, terrified, but he had to do this. He couldn't back out now.

Uncle Gibbs nodded, bending Donny over his knee before Donny even fully recognized what happened, seconds later there was loud sound like a muffled thud and the sensation of impact. Donny jumped at the sound, and then, suddenly, it HURT. He yelled; he couldn't help himself. Right on the heels of the first, a second swat landed, making him howl even more. He tried desperately to wiggle away, grabbing blindly for the floor.

"I changed my mind...I changed my mind," Donny panted franticly. "I don't want this anymore. I don't care if I'm grounded the rest of the summer. It huuurrrrttts!"

"Too late, kiddo," Gibbs said mildly. "You made your choice. Now, you're getting a spanking."

Donny squirmed and pleaded, but Uncle Gibbs ignored him, covering his whole butt and the tops of his legs with swats. Before long, Donny was crying hard and swearing he'd never go out of sight again, ever, for the rest of his life. Then, there were no more words, and he just sobbed. A while later, it registered that Uncle Gibbs had stopped and was rubbing his back.

"I'm sorry," Donny stammered, voice shaky with the remnants of tears.

"I know," Uncle Gibbs said quietly. "It's over now. No more apologies. Just don't do it again."

"Never," Donny said fervently, shaking his head. He made a move to get up, and too his surprise, Uncle Gibbs not only let him get up but stood up with him, pulling him into a tight hug. Stupidly, Donny felt the tears starting again.

"You're ok," Uncle Gibbs said softly, dropping a kiss on top of his head. It was a surprising gesture. One he hadn't done since Donny was really little. On a normal day, Donny would've been embarrassed, but right now he just held on tight. "It's all over. Nothing else is going to happen. Now we put it behind us and start again."

"What about my dad?" Donny asked after a moment.

"You leave your dad to me," Gibbs said. "It was my call, my decision, and I'll deal with it. He may talk to you, but he won't be upset, not with you, and he won't punish you. Jimmy knows the rules as well as the rest of them, and one of those is that when a punishment is over, it's over. You don't bring it up again. We handled it, and he'll respect that. Now, why don't we go find a snack?"

Donny smiled. It might have been a bit watery and shaky, but he smiled. "Sure, I'm starving," he said. Uncle Gibbs chuckled. "When aren't you, kid...when aren't you."

* * *

**A/N 2: **There are 2 versions of Rule 3 in NCIS cannon. "Don't believe what you're told: double check." and "Never be unreachable." Thus, the A and B designation.


End file.
